The Best Ways To Make The Most Of Your Commute

during

Plot your first hour at work

Some people have trouble spending their commute time in any other way but trying to knock off items on a to-do list. They present some of rush hour’s biggest threats to their fellow drivers. If you’re someone who can’t lay off the phone or who can be seen reading binders or taking notes, consider focusing more attention to the road while mentally scripting how you’ll tackle your first hour at work — you don't need to write everything down, that's what we have a memory for. Try to set three goals for that hour and plot how you’ll achieve them. Use a recording device if you really must.

Listen and learn

While you will always have music and the radio, they aren’t your only options. Podcasts are free for download, and they cover an expansive range of topics; cars, comedy, science, technology, politics, and more. Pod-catching clients meanwhile aren’t limited to iTunes; for instance, Microsoft offers Zune Marketplace and Mediafly offers SyncClient. Meanwhile, available audio books range from classics like How to Win Friends and Influence People to Levitt and Dubner’s Freakanomics, and so much more.

Be courteous

Let a car cut in front of you, and call it good driving karma. In heavy traffic, being alone in your car creates a false and dangerous sense of independence. Commuting is a shared experience carried out in a limited space, one loaded with constant and fast-changing hazards. It may not seem like it, but almost everyone has the same goal: to reach the workplace in one piece. So drive according to that empathy.

after

Finally, before you begin your workday, take just a couple of minutes to eliminate any stiffness in your arms, legs and torso with some quick stretches outside the car. And if you have had a stressful ride and managed to work yourself up, calm down before you step into the office. Bad traffic attitudes tend to transcend upon the workplace easily and that can make a mess of an otherwise good day.

calm commute

Right now your commute is likely a series of habitual behaviors, from the lanes you take to the music you play to the coffee you drink — not something you can alter in a day. In order to maximize your commute, you will need to be patient during this process. It won’t happen in a single day. However, once the change is made, you'll be grateful for the change.

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